


5 Ways Tommy Could Have Come Out (And One Way He Did)

by Lumeleo



Category: Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Coming Out, Developing Relationship, F/M, Trans Male Character, Trans Man Tommy Shepherd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27884233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumeleo/pseuds/Lumeleo
Summary: 5 ways Tommy could have come out to Kate as trans, and the one way he finally did.
Relationships: Kate Bishop/Tommy Shepherd
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	5 Ways Tommy Could Have Come Out (And One Way He Did)

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, I wanted to write a fic about Tommy coming out to Kate but couldn't pick one idea, so I wrote them all.

1\. Period

Having Tommy spend most of his time at their makeshift headquarters had its pros and cons. On the plus side, Tommy kept an eye on the place and actually made sure everything was clean, or at least as clean as could be expected from a place where a bunch of teenagers planned their world-saving escapades. On the minus side… well. It meant that Tommy spent most of his time there.

“What’s gotten into you?” Kate asked the third time a cupboard door was closed with a bang. She pushed away the papers she had been looking over. There was no way she could focus in this noise. “How am I supposed to make any sense of these maps if you keep acting like a toddler?”

“I don’t know,” Tommy replied with a clipped tone, breezing past her toward the next cupboard. “How the hell am I supposed to deal with anything when my chocolate stash is gone?”

“So eat something else! God knows I keep the place stocked with enough snacks.” Kate sighed, trying to fight off a headache. The semi-super band of robbers had struck three times in the last month, and if their schedule stayed the same, they were due another hit this weekend. She had to figure out the most likely targets by then or they had no hope of catching the bastards.

“Yeah, well, maybe I don’t want something else!” Definitely a toddler. “I’m tired and sore and achy and gross and all I want is some chocolate, but someone’s eaten it all!”

“Are you sure you didn’t just eat it yourself?” He was the one spending the most time around here, after all.

“Yes I’m sure! I fucking know better than to work through all my chocolate stashes right before my period.”

The mention was dropped so off-handedly that Kate nearly missed it, and even when she caught on it took her a moment to process the implications. However, even if Tommy was being casual about it, he probably didn’t want any extra questions when he was already feeling cranky.

“Right.” Kate reached into her pocket. “If I give you my card to go get whatever snacks you want, will you at least try to give me some peace and quiet?”

The card disappeared from her hand instantly, followed by Tommy in short order. Kate shook her head, amused and exasperated in equal measure.

She should probably start stocking period products around here, too. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

*

2\. Injury

It wasn’t until Kate caught the sound of a murmured curse that she realized Tommy had been injured.

Knowing him, he would have been perfectly content to keep hiding it until he was either forced to come clean or simply keeled over. Now, though, Kate was suspicious, and thus took the first semi-peaceful moment they had to push Tommy against the nearest wall.

“My, Katie, so forward,” Tommy said, a smirk on his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Figured. Of course this was the kind of thing he would waste false amusement on. “All you needed to do was ask.”

“Shut up and let me see.” She pulled his shirt up, and he didn’t resist. Knew better than to try, no doubt.

The wound was long but not too deep, which didn’t mean Kate wasn’t going to be worried anyway. It was bleeding rather freely, and with Tommy always on the move it wasn’t going to stop on its own. Tracing her hands up Tommy’s chest to survey the damage, Kate found her fingers brushing against another layer of fabric.

She glanced at the tight, vest-like thing, then up at Tommy. He tilted his head in affected nonchalance. “My binder,” he stated. “Please try not to ruin it, it’s the only one I have that’s not terrible for running around in.”

“I should bench you just for doing heroics in a binder, but it’s not like that would stop you.” Kate shook her head and pushed the subject aside. It was probably something they would have to talk about another time, but that time was not now.

Right now, her main priority was making sure Tommy didn’t bleed out due to his own stupidity.

*

3\. Kid Talk

“You’re good with kids.”

Tommy turned around from where he had been sending off a couple of the smallest kids at Xavier’s after running around the garden at blinding speed with a child over each shoulder. “Don’t tell anyone, you’ll ruin my carefully cultivated bad boy reputation.”

“Please. It’s not like I’ve believed in that in ages.” Kate snorted. “You love the kiddos, and everyone who’s seen you for five seconds around them knows that. Why do you think the Professor is so cool with you hanging out with them?”

“To be fair, it’s not like I could keep the prof from knowing my deep, dark secrets.” Tommy lifted a hand to his forehead for an exaggerated sigh. “It’s fine, anyway. Billy’s definitely going to find a way to make some little skrullings one day, so I’ve got to practise for being the most awesome uncle in the world.”

“Oh?” Kate lifted her eyebrows. “So you’re not planning on having any yourself?”

Tommy shrugged. “Kinda difficult when the only thing I want to do with my bits is get rid of them.”

“Ah.” Kate paused. “Trans?”

“Yeah.” Tommy didn’t look at her, focused on the kids chasing each other across the yard.

“Well, the world’s got plenty of kids as it is. I’m sure you’ll find some to hang off your ankles if that’s what you want.”

She had to admit the mental image was kind of sweet.

*

4\. Intimacy

As far as bad life choices went, getting her hands all over Tommy was probably in the top three, alongside getting into superheroics and letting Tommy get his hands on her. Even so, she could not regret any of choices, not when Tommy was pressing fevered kisses along her neck and running his hands along her thighs. Kate was fairly sure he was starting to vibrate, which, yes. She could find some uses for that.

“Wait.” Against all odds, Tommy stopped her just as her hands were tugging at the button on his pants. “There’s something i should probably tell you.”

“Right now? Really?”

“Yeah, well, it’s kind of relevant.” Tommy’s eyes flickered away from her face, a faint flush on his pale face. “I… kinda have a pussy? Instead of a cock, I mean.”

Kate paused for all of half a second. Then, she pulled Tommy into a kiss. “No pregnancy scares sounds good to me,” she murmured, and continued her explorations.

*

5\. About to die

Things were, to put it mildly, going wrong.

Billy was barely holding up a shield keeping some civilians safe, with Teddy tearing up enemies while trying to keep himself in one piece. Kate was running out of arrows, even with Tommy picking up any that weren’t too bashed up as he ran around the battlefield punching at the bad guys. If nothing changed, they were screwed.

Then Tommy was thrown down by a particularly vicious enemy, landing on the ground with a sickening crunch. Kate felt her heart coming to a stop. That was not the sort of change she had hoped for.

“Oh, fuck this.” Tommy stood up and brushed a trickle of blood off the corner of his mouth, his legs trembling and eyes blazing. “I refuse to die before I get myself an actual dick.”

It wasn’t a cause Kate had expected to fight for, but at this point, she’d take anything that kept them all on their feet.

*

+1. Just say it

“Hey, Katie.”

“Hm?” Kate kept looking up at the stars twinkling into the sky one at a time. Tommy had taken them somewhere far away from city lights, and it seemed like the entire universe was stretching out above them.

It was nice. Romantic, almost, though she wasn’t about to say that aloud for fear of scaring Tommy away. The night air was cool but not chilly, just enough for her to feel the hint of warmth from Tommy’s arm stretched out right next to her. Nothing was going to bother her right now.

“I’m trans.”

Kate moved her hand just enough to grasp Tommy’s. “Thanks for telling me.”

The night was growing cooler, but that just meant they had to cuddle closer for warmth. There were plenty of stars left to view, after all.


End file.
